Why do we fall?

I was a good wife and waited for my husband's day off to go see The Dark Knight Rises, though truth be told it drove me crazy hearing all the wonderful things and having to wait. But good things come to those who wait, and I was rewarded for my patience.

The Dark Knight Rises is the best film I've seen all year, perhaps the best film I've seen in many years. It is the perfect finale to an already outstanding trilogy. This seems like quite the statement to make but I stand behind it. There are many factors that determine how great a film is: screenplay, directing, acting, cinematography and the score to name a few. Some films reach greatness on some of these levels but miss others. As we've come to learn with Chris Nolan's previous work he is a man who knows how to take us to levels we hadn't fathomed before (cough cough Inception cough). TDKR is no exception.

Let us begin with the acting. There are some outstanding performances in this film. I feel that I have to mention Sir Michael Caine as Alfred first. He doesn't have as much screen time as he did in the first and second installments but his performance packs an emotional punch. He brings heart and soul to the film, in many ways he is the voice of the many, he doesn't possess the physical strength of the heroes but he brings his vulnerability and love of Bruce to the point where he humanizes him, reminds him of his own limitations. The next actor I need to mention is Tom Hardy as the frightening Bane. His physical possession of the screen is intimidating enough, but he also brings a calm and destructive control. He's a villain you will love to hate, and will also come to understand.

Anne Hathaway is wonderful as Selina, she is sexy, sophisticated and strong. She isn't just there to be a pretty face and a nice body. Her character has purpose, a very important purpose and Anne shines in the role. Christian Bale is back again as the complex Wayne and heroic Batman. We get to see him as Wayne more in this film which was nice, I felt it gave more insight into the character. We also get to see more weakness in him which only adds more to the triumph of his rise from the (literal) hole he finds himself in. Joseph Gordon Levitt has a great performance as Blake. Like Alfred he shows the world of Gotham through a citizen's eyes. He proves himself to be a true hero without a mask. Morgan Freeman as Fox, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordan and Marion Coutillard as Miranda give nothing but the fine performances we have come to expect from them.

The screenplay is spectacular, I don't really know what else to say about it. There are so many great twists and turns, secrets are revealed, lives are lost, heroes rise. There is never a dull moment, nothing felt too long or too short. There is some foreshadowing, one in particular that made me know early on how it was going to end, but that didn't make it predictable, it made it feel complete. The ending is exactly as it should be. Both Chris Nolan and Jonathan Nolan wrote the screenplay and with brilliant minds like that at the helm it's easy to just let go and know that the story is in safe hands.

The cinematography by Wally Pfister is joyously moody. I know that's quite an oxymoron but it truly is. The lighting is dark, the ambiance tense, but there's a charge in the air, and as Selina says a storm coming. Throughout the film you feel that storm brewing purely through the lighting in the scenes. Batman has always excelled in the dark, it's his element, but perhaps this time the shadows will not be the allies he has found them to be previously.

Director of the year goes to Chris Nolan (sorry Joss Whedon, I truly do love you too). This man is unstoppable. Watching Memento years ago I knew that he would be one of the greats and he has not disappointed. I cannot begin to imagine the daunting task it would have been to direct a film of TDKR size. I have seen a few behind the scenes clips and it looks overwhelming. Hundreds of extras, enormous sets built, not to mention the constant hold he has on the story at all times. As an aspiring director I find myself in awe of such talent. What I wouldn't give to be able to shadow that man through the process of making one of his films. In an earlier post I saluted Joss Whedon, in this one I bow down to Nolan.

TDKR is one of those films that I found myself wanting to clap, gasp out loud, and at one point actually physically stopped myself from making a sound. It's a true hero film in that you really believe in Batman and you want to see him rise no matter how far he has to fall first. We've seen his beginning, we've seen him fall and now we get to watch him rise. It's okay to feel a little emotional about that.

Rise

Another senseless tragedy has occurred. Early this morning a theatre in Colorado was packed with fans watching the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. Thirty minutes into the film a gunman walked in, threw gas and opened fire. Twelve people were killed, over 40 wounded, and countless affected.

I am not writing this to talk about what happened, because the media is covering those aspects. Here is the latest update from CNN if you're interested. I am not writing this to go into detail about the human psyche, ask questions about why or how this could have happened. These too will be answered over time, and by someone else. I want to focus this post on the where of it all.

One of the places I have always felt happiest is in a movie theatre. There is some comfort in those dark, cool cinemas where the real world turns off and an exciting new one replaces it for 120 minutes. But there has always been a nagging fear in the back of my mind, a what if? What if someone took advantage of this location? Here we all are, crowded together. Humans don't let each other get that close anymore, it's one of the last places in western society where we can sit close together, without concern of who's to the left or right of you. You're safe, surely, this is a place for entertainment and fun. Who would take advantage of that? But of course there are those that would, and have. A cinema is a black box with limited exits. There aren't many ways to get out in a hurry, especially if everyone is panicking.

My second home doesn't seem so safe when you look at it that way. After today's tragedy there are many who might fear that they will never feel safe in a cinema again. I cannot speak for those who have survived the tragedy or who survive the victims. But I will try speak for the rest of us. Fear has the potential to stay a long time after tragedy strikes. Ever since 9-11 the fear of flying has increased. I'm sure many people taking the London underground still struggle with the fear of "what if it happens again?". I'll never forget the day I was at Concordia University in Montreal and heard that a shooter had gone into the Cegep next to us and killed a student. It stops you in your tracks. Makes you wonder if you'll ever see the world the same again. Tragedies change everything, they shift us all in different ways.

This tragedy will leave it's mark, as all do. However this tragedy doesn't just impact the people involved. It happened in a movie theatre, during one of the most highly anticipated films of the year, on its release day. There is talk that Warner Bros. may cancel all DKR screenings across the US. This may seem extreme but think about it, they need to make the expected gross off of this film, much of which will come from the US, and many Americans will be afraid to go to the cinema to see that film so soon after this happened. I can understand that. But I feel the need to defend my second home. Because dammit, I won't let anyone take it from me. The suspect of this shooting could have done it anywhere else, a park, a mall, a school. They've been the locations of such tragedies before. I am not sure why he chose that cinema, and that film. I am sure there will be those who will try to link the film to the killings, just as they tried with gaming and the Columbine tragedy. But here's the thing, this had nothing to do with the film, it had to do with one sick man's wrong decision.

My heart goes out to all those grieving this pointless tragedy, I cannot begin to understand what such loss feels like. We live in a dark world with many clouded minds. Sometimes, and particularly on days like today, it's hard to imagine the world as anything but dark. It's on those days that I usually go to my second home and let a film remind me of what it's like to feel magic and wonder. No one will ever take that from me. I will not fear a movie theatre, and neither should you. The most safest places on this earth can become the most dangerous if the wrong people are there, but we cannot live in fear of 'what ifs?' When I go to see The Dark Knight Rises next week I will think of the victims of this tragedy, but I won't let fear stop me from escaping from this difficult world for 120 mins, and neither should you.

That man has taken too much all ready, I will not let him take the happiness I feel in my second home. I will rise above fear.

The Good but not Amazing Spider-Man

Usually I can review a film right after seeing it. This was not the case with The Amazing Spider-Man. I needed to take a couple of days and reflect upon it before writing. The reason for this is because this film is not bad but it's not great either. It's somewhere in between and those films are the toughest to review. I think the best approach is for me to discuss what I liked and what I didn't.

I'll admit that I went into this film with no expectations except for the hope that it'd be better than the Sam Raimi films. It's not that I hated them, at the time they were quirky and were the rebirth of the marvel hero film so to speak. But boy have we come a long way. We as viewers are no longer satisfied with a simple hero story anymore, we aren't as easy to please as we once were. With films like Thor, Iron Man and The Avengers the bar has been raised. We know what great cinema is and we won't settle for less. The Amazing Spider-Man is much better than the Raimi films for reasons I'll discuss further. However plot wise it is lacking and doesn't come close to the brilliant superhero films of late. 

Let's get the bad over with shall we. The number one problem with this film is the script. The first third of the film takes its time setting up the plot, Peter Parker's (Andrew Garfield) abandonment issues and teen angst, his inevitable transformation into Spider-Man, and Uncle Ben's (Martin Sheen) untimely demise. In the first act we see Parker go from nerd to vengeful super human. The problem however is that a whole third of the film is dedicated to what we already saw in Raimi's 2002 Spider-Man. So much time is dedicated to what we already know is going to happen that the second and third acts feel rushed, leaving many plot holes and unanswered questions. I have a feeling that director Marc Webb (yep, that's his name!) wanted to allude to plot points, leave some ambiguity, however you have to be a very talented director, aka Chris Nolan, to pull this off, and unfortunately Webb does not possess skills like Nolan.

The main plot points of this film are a: Parker's transformation into Spider-Man, b: Parker's desire to know why his parents left him, c: Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) transformation into The Lizard, and d. Parker's choice to go from vengeful vigilante to super hero. Plot point a is rushed to the point that you ask yourself how he learnt so quickly to control impulses that in the last scene destroyed his bathroom. Plot point b goes completely off screen after the first act. I imagine Webb has decided to leave this for the sequel but still, some indication of that would be nice. Plot point c in my opinion could have completely disappeared from the film. I know we need a villain but I think it would have been more interesting to focus on Parker's transformation and the city's response to this rather than play it out against a giant lizard. Plot point d is done relatively well but I found myself wondering if he would ever catch his Uncle's murderer, rather than just give up the search all together.

So as you can see the script definitely had glitches, and there are many other unanswered questions. What happened to Rajit Ratha after the bridge? And what happened to all those released scenes leading up to the film? None of them were actually in the film. The reason Parker climbs the fire escape to Gwen Stacy's (Emma Stone) apartment is because in a removed scene the doorman wouldn't let him in. This scene is available on YouTube here: Doorman Scene. Supposedly Ratha had a scene that showed his death but that was left on the cutting room floor too. I understand the need to cut scenes for timing but to cut plot points seems a little risky.

Technically speaking I saw a few odd edits that made me lose immersion briefly, it's not often there are editing problems in a big budget film like this but I noticed at least two. I also wasn't a fan of the music choices. I love Coldplay, don't get me wrong, but was "Till Kingdom Come" the best song to play as Parker discovers his new skills? Maybe a more upbeat up tempo song might have worked better. And while we're on it I don't think 3-D lent anything extra to the film. A few of the POV shots were great but apart from that it wasn't necesary. But now I'm just getting picky so let's move on shall we?

You must be wondering after all that what I can say that is good about this film. Well there is one thing that saved it from its limited script - the acting. I was really impressed by Garfield as Parker/Spider-Man. He bought a raw emotion to the role that Toby Maquire was unable to do. I found myself connecting to this lost and fragile yet indestructible hero. He also bought an endearing awkwardness to the role. Add to that Emma Stone as Parker's love interest and you have a winning combination. Their chemistry on screen was off the charts, it's not surprising they've been dating since the shoot. Webb obviously noticed their ability to light up the screen together and used it to his advantage. Martin Sheen played a loveable Uncle Ben and the wonderful Sally Field was charming yet underused as Aunt May. Denis Leary was great as Captain Stacy, Gwen's father. He had a great character arc throughout the film and bought that Leary charm we all know and love.

So as you can see I'm a little torn in regards to this film. I didn't like the script but loved the acting. The plot lacked completion but the performances were great. Technically I think the film was out of it's depth but once again you can lose yourself in the characters and not get too caught up on it. It's almost unfortunate that a film like The Avengers came along because so few films are going to be able to do what it did - combine wonderful SFX with an intriguing and complete story, spectacular characters and a talented cast. If I'd seen this film first perhaps I would have been less critical but alas, I am a spoiled viewer and have had a taste of greatness and now it's all I want. So my advice is that you should see this film, let yourself be entertained and try not to ask too many questions afterwards. Perhaps if we're lucky Joss Whedon will take on the sequel.

Snow White as you've never seen her before...

I had been looking forward to seeing Snow White and the Huntsman for some time. The trailers grasped my attention and I hoped that we would finally get a good film that re-imagines a classic tale. However, like many I was hesitant, a little worried that it would go where so many had gone before, into a world where great imaginative films go to die with stunning visual effects and no soul. Well I am delighted to say that Snow White and the Huntsman has no place in that dark forsaken place.

The first thing you will notice about this film is that it is in fact visually stunning. The cinematographer for this film is Greig Fraser. I am not familiar with his work but will definitely be keeping an eye out for him. Cinematographers paint with light, and this is evident throughout the film. The use of colour is beautiful with some scenes reminiscent of Ridley Scott's Gladiator, whose cinematographer was John Mathieson. I love the use of deep reds in films that have darker tones. I found myself captivated by the early scene where the soldiers run to battle Ravenna's army. With its moody shadows, bursts of flame and red flags blowing in the wind the frame is nothing less than art. The most beautiful scenes are those with Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron). Her outfits are incredible and the use of these materials on frame are spectacular. I particularly loved her outfits that were designed around the raven.

Now the reason this film doesn't go to that sad place where stunning films go to die is because this film also has a soul. This is an original take on a very well known tale. I have never heard the story of Snow White told in this way, and therefore had no idea what to expect. To be honest my limited knowledge of the tale begins and ends with Disney. This is no disney tale however. Our Snow White may be a prisoner but she's quite capable of rescuing herself.

The premise of the film is that Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is imprisoned by her step mother, Ravenna, who kills Snow White's father and takes over the kingdom. When Snow White comes of age Ravenna is horrified to discover that she is no longer the fairest of them all, Snow White is. I have to add a side note here, the re-imagination of the mirror was incredible. Ravenna finds out however that if she consumes Snow White's heart she will be immortal and forever young. She asks her brother to bring Snow White to him but she manages to escape and runs into an ominous forest. Ravenna then demands that the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) who knows the forest go in after her. She says that if he brings Snow White back she will bring his dead wife back to life.

I think many people were confused when Kristen Stewart was cast to play Snow White. Her films till now have not highlighted any of her acting skills, many claiming that she appears wooden on screen. I wasn't  expecting a great performance from her but was pleasantly surprised to discover that the girl can act. Her American accent is transformed into a more British lilt in this film and she doesn't do any of those annoying hand to hair gestures common in the Twilight films. She breathes a new life into Snow White, who in this tale is not some lost Princess looking for a Prince, rather a strong, pure-hearted young woman looking to heal a land long ravaged by desperation and despair. I read a review where the critic claimed that it was ridiculous for Stewart to be cast opposite the gorgeous Theron, when Snow White is supposed to be more beautiful. Firstly I think it's appalling that this critic went as fair as to mock the state of Stewart's teeth, secondly I like that the film focusses more on inner beauty than outer. I found that Stewart looked lovely on film, but more than that I found the way they portrayed her inner beauty to be refreshing. This is a woman whose heart can heal your wounds, take away your pain. She breathes light into dark and that is where her beauty comes from.

The Huntsman in this tale is not simply the muscles of the mission. In fact we learn early on that there are some tasks Snow White can do better than he can. The Huntsman is in a state of deep grief over the loss of his wife and has chosen to fill the void with alcohol. We see a great and subtle change with the Huntsman throughout the film. The Prince is part of the mission also, and we know from the traditional tale that it is the Prince whose kiss will bring Snow White back to life. But this is not the traditional tale.

I have read reviews where people stated their unhappiness with the ending, with it's vague romance between Snow White and the Huntsman. I didn't have any problem with the ending. I thought it suited the film perfectly. As for the romance aspect, I enjoyed the subtlety of it. I can't really imagine how declarations of undying love or excessive displays of affection would have placed in this film. I have always been a fan of longing looks, slight touches and charged energy on film. It's harder to act and therefore much more affective.

I have to make mention here of the seven dwarves. I liked their portrayal in this film. They were more heroic than comedic, with a back story, some humour, but mostly they provided a different insight into the world this film is based around. There has been some controversy over the use of regular sized actors, as opposed to casting little people. I can understand the frustration of those who feel this encroached upon roles that should be reserved for a people who feel they already have such limited choices. But I also understand why execs wanted to cast well known actors like Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane and Nick Frost. Either way the actors did well and brought a new twist to the seven dwarves.

Snow White and the Huntsman is an imaginative film that unlike other fairy tale films (I'm looking at Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland here) takes time with plot and gives a heart beat to the film. The visuals are superb, the acting genuinely good, and the story intriguing. All in all it's a great "once upon a time" that leads us to a "happily ever after"...or at least hints at it.

Game of Thrones Season Two

Unless you've been living under a rather large rock these past few months then you know all about the excitement surrounding Game of Thrones season two. I fell in love with this series when it premiered in April 2011. It's like a much darker, more sexual Lord of the Rings. I have not yet read the books but my husband has and so he became a guide of sorts during this season.

Season one left us with heartbreak, death, hope and exciting new beginnings. The much adored Ned Stark had been killed thanks to Joffrey who had claimed the throne at Kings Landing. The Stark children were scattered. Arya was hiding under disguise as a boy, Sansa was a prisoner of Kings Landing and soon-to-be bride to Joffrey, Bran and his younger brother were left at Winter Fell, Robb was preparing for battle, and Jon Snow was at the wall. Dany however had discovered her true calling as the mother of dragons when she and her 'children' emerged from the fire untouched.

At the start of Season two things are in complete disarray. Arya is on the run, Robb is at battle, Bran is a child making the decisions of men, Sansa is doing her best to play dutiful princess in waiting, and Jon is learning the hard way in the Night's Watch. Theon Greyjoy reunites with his father and sister years after being taken prisoner at Winterfell. The meeting does not go as he planned and he spends the rest of the season trying, unsuccessfully, to earn respect of the men of the Iron Islands. Dany is having a tough time. Most of her men abandoned her after the death of Drogo. Those that remain are starving and exhausted. When she comes upon the city of Quarth she knows it is her last hope. She doesn't have the easiest time in Quarth, many try to take advantage of her, but they are foolish to underestimate the mother of dragons.

I found Dany's story to be the least exciting of the series, up until the last episode when she finds her strength. My husband tells me that she has a great storyline in the third book so I look forward to seeing that. I really enjoyed the character arc of Dany in season one. She went from being a woman sold for a throne, to a woman in love, a widow, and then finally a dragon lord. In season two the focus around her character was primarily on her love for her dragons. At the moment they are still babies but once they have grown I feel as though Dany will hold more power than the seven kingdoms combined.

I enjoyed Arya's storyline in season two. She's a clever girl who knows how to survive. She saves a man named Jaqen H'ghar who makes her a promise that he will kill three people for her. She gives the first two names but realises that she needs more than just three. And so she gives Jaqen H'ghar his own name, forcing him to help her further until she unnames him. He proves to be a handy person to have around in a sticky situation. Along her journey Arya met up with Gendry, who is the bastard first born son of Robert Baratheon, the former king of Westeros. His 'son' Joffrey now sits on the throne, but we know that Joffrey is actually the son of Cersei and her brother Jaime. Therefore Gendry has more power in his blood than he truly realises. It's not surprising then that all the children of Robert were ordered killed in order to keep Joffrey on the throne. At the end of season two Arya is on the run again with Gendry after Jaqen H'ghar helps her escape from Harrenhal.

Sansa has an interesting season also. She is becoming a woman more and more. She is much less annoying in this season, many of her childish tantrums replaced by fear and survival instincts. We see some wonderful moments between her and the hound who seems to go out of his way to ensure her safety. At the end of season two Sansa is happy to find out that Joffrey has replaced her as his future bride. The happiness is short lived when she is told by littlefinger that this doesn't mean her freedom, she will always be one of Joffrey's toys.

Robb himself grows up a lot in this season. He fights, reaching many victories, and he meets and falls in love with a woman. At the end of the season Robb loses his virginity and marries her even though he is promised to another. This will no doubt cause many problems for Robb in season three.

Jon has quite an adventure when he is ordered to kill Ygritte, a wildling. He chooses not to kill her and ends up being captured by the wildlings. Another guard of the Night's Watch is taken prisoner with them and he chooses to let Jon kill him in order to gain the respect of the wildlings. The season ends with Jon a prisoner.

Jaime Lannister is not in the season much but is a prisoner of Robb's army for most of the season. Then one day Catelyn sends Brienne, an incredible female warrior, to take Jaime, much to Robb's anger. The season ends with Brienne and Jaime on the road and we get to see some of the strength Brienne possesses. I look forward to seeing more of both characters next season.

The true star of season two is of course Tyrion who uses his wit and intelligence to take control of King's Landing. In the penultimate episode of the season there is a huge battle at King's Landing and Tyrion proves himself as a leader. Unfortunately the arrival of his father does not bode well for Tyrion. We last see him injured in bed, hidden away at the request of his father, his lover Shae vowing to stay with him. The only good thing about seeing Tyrion at the bottom is that I know he will have one epic rise to the top. He is by far the best character of this series and a fan favourite. I can't wait to see where he goes in the next season.

I am of course missing many other plot points in this summary as there are just too many to write about. I thought this season was excellent. We got to see a new side to all the characters, plans were made, schemes plotted, battles fought, lost and won, heroes killed, villains too. My only complaint would be that I wish we got to see more of the dire wolves. They were such an important part of season one but have all but disappeared in season two. Here's hoping the make a grand return in season three. I have no idea where season three will go, everything has changed for all the characters, but I for one am counting down the days till it gets here.

The Men in Black are back...again

2012 is a great year for film. In the upcoming months we get Snow White and the Huntsman, The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spiderman and The Bourne Legacy. And of course we are all still riding the wave that is The Avengers. The film has done spectacularly at the box office and has had the number one spot since opening...until now. Last week Men in Black III came out and has surprisingly managed to push The Avengers from it's perch.

To be honest I wasn't particularly excited about the release of MIB3. I'd seen the other two films when they came out years ago and neither left an impression. However the rating on IMDb was decent so I thought why the hell not? Yesterday my husband and I went to check it out. We went in with very little expectations, no memory of what had happened in the previous films and no idea what the plot would be. We just wanted to be entertained.

So here's the thing. I didn't hate the film, but I can't say I really liked it either. The plot is interesting enough. Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement), a disgusting alien who a younger Agent K (Josh Brolin) put away fourty years earlier on a luna prison has escaped. Boris decides to go back in time to kill the young Agent K before said agent chops off Boris' arm. In the present Agent J (Will Smith) and the older Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) continue on MIB business until one day Agent K disappears, from the earth, from time and from everyone but Agent J's memory. Agent J then has to go back in time and save Agent K, and also catch Boris who is determined to destroy Earth.

Josh Brolin did a wonderful job at stepping into Agent K's shoes. He mimicked Tommy Lee Jones' K to perfection. He showed a new side to K, a more humorous, approachable side. This is slightly confusing for Agent J who doesn't understand how K could be so cold and detached in the future when he was so different in the past. You really don't need to have seen the other films in order to follow this story. Both Agent J and K have a bizarre relationship. They seem to care a lot about each other yet in some ways they barely know each other. J would love to know more but K is hesitant. Just before K disappears in the future he seems to want to tell J something but never gets the chance. We find out what this something is later in the film, which adds a nice twist to the story and to their relationship.

Unfortunately the other characters don't really get a chance to be explored. Smith's J is meant to be the driving force of the plot but appears to be more of a passenger. I had expected more humor in the story. Smith had some quirky moments but I noticed that the audience laughed more in The Avengers than in this film. I think this is partly because the script wasn't very entertaining and also because we didn't get a chance to get to know the characters. Clement's Boris was deliciously grotesque but lacked depth. I like when we get to know a villain, their goals, and the extent they will go to in order to reach those goals. In other words I like to know the stakes. We didn't get that in this film. Boris' reasons for going to the past to kill K were a little weak. He shows up throughout the film at random points but he almost feels like an after thought. This pains me to say because I really love Clement, he's a fellow kiwi and I daily sing songs from Flight of the Conchords. Unfortunately his character was written without depth, and although he gave all he could to it Boris somehow fell through the cracks.

Obviously this is not a film we are meant to take too seriously. It's a fluff film, there to distract, make you forget about work, the kids, that crack in the bathroom sink that needs fixing. This is not a painful film to watch by any means. It flows well, has a beginning, middle and a somewhat satisfying end. However I had expected it to pack a bit more of a punch considering the last in the series was ten years ago.

Perhaps if this film came out a couple of years after the last I would have enjoyed it more. Unfortunately for them, but luckily for us, directors like Chris Nolan and Joss Whedon have raised the bar. We don't just want to be distracted from the bathroom sink anymore. We want to be entertained.

The Vampire Diaries Season Three - A Review

It's no secret that The Vampire Diaries is my favourite show. The first two seasons of this show gripped me, leaving me wanting more. The writers of this series know how to fill a 41 minute episode with explosive detail, and they sure know how to pack a punch.

At the end of season two things had shifted. Stefan, in order to save his brother Damon drank a whole lot of human blood. When off human blood Stefan is a kind albeit brooding vampire. On the blood he's a ripper. He also became Klaus' puppet. Elena, who thought Damon was dying, kissed him. And he finally (although not for the first time) told her he loved her. Then Katherine walked in with the cure, thanks to Stefan's sacrifice, and things got a little awkward.

We started season three with Elena's 18th birthday. Stefan is gone, Elena is heartbroken, and Damon's there to pick up the pieces. Season three dedicates a lot of time bringing Elena and Damon closer, much to the joy of delena shippers. We get to learn about a friendship Stefan and Klaus enjoyed during the 1920s. We also learn a lot about the originals, their intentions, and the reason why killing them is not such a good idea.

This season felt as though there were more characters than usual, perhaps too many. Tyler was dealing with his hybrid issues and love for Caroline. Thanks to her father he was able to find a way to be around her without being under Klaus' control. Bonnie had to deal with her break up from Jeremy (cos he cheated on her with a ghost...), she then met her mother who left her as a child, and also a new potential love interest. We met a whole bunch of originals including their mother who, realising the monsters she'd created, decided to find a way to kill them all. There was an episode (arguably the worst in the series) that had dead characters return in the form of ghosts. We met Sage, an old friend of Damon's and a lover of one of the originals. It is through her that we find out that if you kill an original you kill the line of Vampires they created. Unfortunately for our favourites they were sired by Klaus. Therefore the two season long epic battle of killing him sort of lost its charm. We also got to meet Meredith, a doctor and new love interest for Alaric. Yes there were plenty of characters in this season.

We lost some too. Most notably the beloved Alaric. Turns out our sweet Alaric had a darker vampire killing alter ego. He killed Caroline's father along with many more. When he himself was turned into a vampire he made the noble choice of letting himself die. Unfortunately the witches wouldn't allow it and they used Bonnie to feed him human blood. For the last few episodes Alaric became a deadly vampire hunter (played magnificently by Matt Davis) . His life was also linked to Elena. As long as she stayed alive there was no way to kill him.

The main storyline was of course Elena's decision between Damon and Stefan. Once Stefan returned from Klaus' grasp and got back to being the kind albeit brooding vampire we love, he was back in the running for Elena's heart. By this point however she and Damon had gotten close. I found that this aspect of the plot dragged out a little too much for my liking. I'd hoped to see a relationship form between Elena and Damon, but it was obvious that she'd eventually pick Stefan even though Damon, according to Elena, consumed her. Up until the finale I had almost stopped caring about her choice altogether.

But then there was the finale. I had seen the promo, and having read the novels, when I saw Elena and Matt crash  into the river I knew exactly what that meant. Her days as a human were numbered. This series has hardly had any similarities to the novels but I'm glad they chose to play homage by having this be the way she turned. Having collapsed the previous episode Elena ended up in hospital with a brain hemorrhage. Meredith gave her vampire blood to save her life. Elena's drowning therefore was not the end, just the beginning. It also spelled the end of Alaric. By definition of the word Elena is now dead and so their tie is broken.

Just before they crashed Elena told Damon that she had finally made a decision, to turn back and go to Stefan. She had to let Damon go. He asked her if it could have been different. She said that Stefan had saved her that day in the river, he had in many ways brought her back to life. She added however that if perhaps she'd met him first it would have been different. We then see a scene of Damon lying on the road, it's the night of that first crash and Elena has had a fight with Matt. Her parents are on their way to pick her up. She and Damon have a brief conversation, she's questioning the whole concept of love. Damon tells her that she should have a love that consumes her. He then compels her to forget the conversation because he doesn't want anyone to know he's in town. We now know that she did meet Damon first. Stefan would see her moments later when he saves her from the river, but it was Damon who crossed her path first.

With Elena turning she will have to make the choice of whether or not she completes the transformation. Knowing her character this will take some soul searching When she does (because of course she will) she will then remember everything that happened to her that she was compelled to forget. This means that she'll remember that first time Damon told he loved her but that his brother deserved her. She'll also remember that she met him first. Who knows what it means for them but it's nice to know that the Damon and Elena card is not off the table.

Season three was the weakest of the three but still managed to bring in unique perspective, shocking revelations and hope for an exciting fourth season. The truth is that a weak season for this series is still a strong season for most. I hope that season four is more intimate. There were too many characters in this season, too many plots all over the place. I think it would be nice to go back to the characters we came to know and love in season one: Elena, Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, Jeremy, Caroline and Tyler. I look forward to seeing Elena's transition into a vampire, it will be interesting to see whose feeding habits she takes on, Damon's or Stefan's. Then there's the case of Klaus now being in Tyler's body. What does this mean for Tyler? Will Klaus get a new body and will Tyler return? We'll have to wait till September to find out.

I don't know about you but I'll be counting down the days.